1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns an improved water pumping windmill employing a wind powered multiblade rotor to drive two counterbalanced rotating cranks driving reciprocating pitman arms in parallel, which in turn reciprocate a single pivoted rocking beam to drive a vertical pump rod up and down, for pumping water from a well. The improved windmill also has means for more effectively furling the multiblade rotor and unfurling it when required.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,126, I introduced the concept of a more efficient water pumping wind machine system for pulling up a vertical shaft or sucker rod and a water load, and for pushing down on the rod to lower it into position for again pulling up both the rod and another water load. This system made maximum use of available wind power to drive the multiblade rotor. The system employed two counterbalance arms at opposite side of the vertical pump rod or shaft. Later improvements were made in wind driven rotor powered water pumping windmills as described in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,427,342 and 4,507,060, in order to obtain better performance, i.e. to produce more water at lower wind speeds. The best performance was produced by the windmill type having double counterbalance beams in a push-pull system as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,060. However it was found that at lower wind speeds generally prevailing in many areas, insufficient quantities of water were being pumped when sufficient windpower was available to to drive the multiblade rotor.
Other difficulties were encountered with the rotor furling and unfurling systems heretofore used in prior windmills. Such furling was required when the wind speed became excessive as happened occasionally during wind storms. Failure to furl the rotor out of the wind immediately often resulted in major damage and even destruction of the windmill. Failure to unfurl the rotor after the wind speed was reduced to normal magnitudes, kept the windmill inactive and required manual attention to turn the rotor to face the wind again. I have found that most of the difficulties with prior furling systems was caused by the use of a coil spring or springs to tension the rotor or rotor support, when the rotor was furled, and to turn the rotor to face the wind when unfurling. Since the springs are constantly exposed to the weather, they often became corroded or fatigued and did not respond properly in conditions of excessive wind speed, and they did not turn the rotor back to face the wind when the wind speed was reduced.
Other disadvantages encountered with prior wind machine systems were excessively high manufacturing costs, expensive field installations, complex installation and repair procedures, and overly frequent and difficult field maintenance requirements.